Pascal-esque Experiment, Part II

I think my Pascal-inspired group problem-solving session went well. The students were very quiet at first, seeming to not know who should speak first as they read over the first problem. A couple of groups didn't even stand up to use the whiteboard for the first five minutes.

But after only a short time, the room was filled with discussion, and the boards were filled with writing.

A few interesting observations:

1. As always, I find that students think more clearly and write more neatly when they are standing at a markerboard. I think the blood flows to the brain better because the body is more active. Also, seeing your handwriting on a whiteboard makes it all look so much more "official."
2. As always, I also find that students think more clearly and write more neatly when they are working out a problem with others watching them. You can't simply gloss over an assumption or a math step with other students---especially an assigned Skeptic---watching you.
3. Speaking of the skeptic role, I heard a lot of chatter between Skeptics and Leaders! What I noticed, though, was that the Skeptic always countered the Leader's statement with another piece of information: "Yes, but we also know that..." or "Perhaps, but the textbook says that..." were typical beginnings of their sentences. They were never skeptical for skepticism's sake, but always challenged the Leader's statement with a purpose and a counterbalancing idea.
4. Lastly, one student (assigned the role of Scribe) asked what the Scribe was to contribute to the discussion. I hadn't considered this, but quickly realized that part of the Scribe's role was to ask the Leader and Skeptic to clarify their ideas so that the Scribe could write them on the board. This is a crucial role that we often miss in the classroom.

So, did the session work? I think so, but we'll see when I get their homework scores in...